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Tempting Christ: Luke 4

The fourth chapter of the book of Luke describes the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Since we are all Christ, we all endure this in various ways: 

1 Then Jesus, remembering that He was Christ and fully Divine, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into a place of lack and hunger 2 so he could be tempted for this time. He had nothing that could fulfill his need, and afterward his need was great.

3 And the tempter said to Him, "You can't really be Christ if you feel so low and down and needy. If you were really Christ, you could provide everything for yourself easily!"

4 But Jesus answered him saying, "It is not what I do that makes Me Christ, but who I AM."

5 Then the tempter, seeing the great need and lack that Christ was walking in, took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him the answer and fulfillment to every one of his needs. 6 Then the tempter said to him, "I will give you everything you need. I will love and support you. I will build you up. You will not hunger anymore. You will not hurt anymore. But there is an ultimatum: you have to not be Christ anymore. I will be your authority, your Christ. 7 You must submit to me, and it will all be yours."

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "No freaking way! I am Christ and I cannot be other! It is written, 'You will not demean yourself and submit your own sovereignty to another!"

9 Then the tempter brought Him to Jerusalem, brought Him to the highest heights of religious worship and said to Him, "If you are Christ the Lord, submit to the established religious theology by proving to the people who worship under this religion that you are Christ, 10 you must fulfill what is written in their religious text: 'He shall meet your needs and not allow harm to come to you' 11 and 'even your basest needs shall be met and you shall not be hurt.'"

12 And Jesus answered and said to Him, "It has been said, 'You shall not confine the Christ expression of who you are to a religious theology or understanding!'"

13 Now when the tempter had ended all this temptation, he departed from Him until the next time He had a need.

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